CSU Mech 105 1/27/25

Project Preparation

  • Students are encouraged to begin their coating work at least three days before the project deadline. This allows ample time for the write-up, which can be substantial.

  • Rushing the project to complete everything in one day is likely to result in a poor final product.

Project Updates and Clarifications

  • The instructor addressed a correction regarding the due date for a component of Project 1, which initially had conflicting dates listed. The accurate due date is now acknowledged as fast approaching.

  • For any questions regarding project submissions, students can utilize virtual feedback from Teaching Assistants (TAs) by emailing specific questions, though general requests for pre-grading are discouraged.

Homework Deadlines

  • A discrepancy was noted between McGraw Hill's online assignments and campus scheduling, leading to confusion about deadlines. The correct due date for the homework is confirmed to be on Wednesday.

Seeking Help and Resources

  • The TAs' office hours are made available to students for additional assistance with coursework, and they can freely choose which TA to approach based on preference.

  • Mesa tutoring is recommended as a secondary resource available for mechanical engineering students seeking help, offering support from more experienced juniors and seniors.

  • This tutoring service is available almost all day, providing a convenient option for students.

Tips for Managing Course Work

  • Starting McGraw Hill Connect homework early is advised as it is structured to facilitate engagement with essential textbook material. This preemptive strategy also helps students identify areas they may struggle with before class.

  • Recorded lectures are available for students unable to attend class due to illness or other commitments. Students are reminded to request links judiciously to confirm genuine absence rather than habitual skips.

Classroom Activity: MATLAB Programming

  • The class began with practical exercises using MATLAB, focusing on the dot operator and relational operators within programming. An example involving a damp oscillatory system was employed for plotting exercises.

  • Students are encouraged to collaborate and seek help if they encounter issues with MATLAB functionality, with TAs available to provide support.

Plotting in MATLAB

  • Key requirements for proper graphing in MATLAB include having title, x-label, and y-label on plots. Multiple data lines can be displayed on the same graph using the 'hold on' command to overlay plots.

  • Students are prompted to practice changing plot aesthetics, including colors and markers, to reinforce familiarity with graphing commands in MATLAB.

Understanding Operators in MATLAB

  • The class covered relational operators such as equal, not equal, greater than, and less than. Emphasis was placed on the truth values that programming returns—"1" for true and "0" for false.

  • Logical operations including AND and OR were discussed, highlighting their usage within if statements and conditions.

Concepts of If Statements

  • The instructor illustrated if statements using real-life scenarios, demonstrating how conditional expressions guide logic in programming. For example, determining if the temperature and weather conditions warrant going for a jog, walking, or staying inside.

  • The importance of punctuation in MATLAB is emphasized, with all if statements needing to be terminated with an "end" statement.

Flowcharting

  • Flowcharts were reviewed as a method for visually organizing and planning out conditions and decisions for programming tasks. Examples were provided demonstrating both simple if-else statements and more complex else-if conditions.

  • Students were tasked with creating their own flowchart plans to strengthen their understanding of conditional logic in programming.